The Honiara Summit 2025 officially opened Tuesday in a colourful traditional ceremony, welcoming over 300 delegates from 28 countries to discuss global efforts towards Sustainable Development Goal 14.4 (SDG 14.4) on sustainable fisheries.
The Prime Minister of Solomon Islands, Jeremiah Manele, officiated the opening ceremony, which featured a chupu presentation, a traditional Solomon Islands welcome.
In his address, Manele highlighted the significance of the summit’s theme, “Iumi Tugeda. Delivering SDG14.4: Achieving Sustainable Fisheries.”
“In Solomon Islands pijin, iumi tugeda means ‘you and me together’. It is obvious sustainable fisheries can only be achieved if we work together whether at the national, regional or international level,” said Manele.
He emphasised the Pacific’s longstanding commitment to regional cooperation in fisheries management, stating, “For over half a century, Pacific leaders have recognised the fundamental importance of working together to ensure the sustainability of our fish stocks. Regional cooperation is critical to optimising the benefits of our valuable fisheries resources while ensuring their long-term sustainability.”
Joint dialogues during the summit will help foster collaboration and action to secure the future of fisheries in the Pacific.
Manele said sustainable fisheries can only be achieved through working together at the national, regional and international levels.
“Regional cooperation is essential to ensuring the long-term sustainability of fish stocks including struggling and highly migratory fish stocks and to ensure we optimiSe benefits arising from the sustainable use of these fish stocks.”
Prime Minister Manele told the summit that it is important to work collectively in the management of fish stocks.
He reminded the summit to strengthen dialogue in achieving SDG 14.4 by addressing overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing methods.
The Prime Minister said the outcomes of the summit are expected to reflect a progress report on SDG 14.4.1, the delivery of the SDGs, and solutions to address gaps in the implementation of SDG 14.4.
The United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Ocean, Ambassador Peter Thompson said the summit provides an avenue to exercise solidarity and environmental stewardship towards ensuring the sustainability of the world’s fisheries.
“Here we are gathered in Honiara to exercise solidarity and environmental stewardship.”
The Honiara Summit serves as a key preparatory meeting ahead of the United Nations 3rd Ocean Conference, which will take place in Nice, France, from 9 – 13 June 2025.
Ambassador Thomson commended the Solomon Islands Government for hosting the summit and acknowledged the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) for co-hosting the event.
“We are gathered in preparation for the UN 3rd Ocean Conference to be held in Nice [France], 9 – 13 June this year. Specifically, we’re here to examine the world’s implementation of SDG 14, our universally agreed target of ensuring the sustainability of the world’s fisheries,” Ambassador Thomson stated.
The Honiara Summit 2025 is a milestone event bringing together government representatives, fisheries agencies, regional organisations, and international stakeholders to strengthen collaboration towards securing the future of the Pacific’s fisheries resources.
